How Long Will We Have To Wait for Flexible-Display Technology?

[Ekkie Tepsupornchai]

<div class='os_post_top_link'><a href='http://www.economist.com/printedition/displayStory.cfm?Story_ID=4031317' target='_blank'>http://www.economist.com/printediti...tory_ID=4031317</a><br /><br /></div><i>"FLEXIBLE video displays, like jet-packs and talking robots, are a science-fiction staple: think of the self-updating newspapers in 'Minority Report', or the video wallpaper in 'Total Recall'. For years, research laboratories, big companies and start-ups have been working hard to turn the idea into reality. &lt;...> But while the technology has come a long way in the past few years, it still faces a number of challenges. What makes a flexible display so difficult to build?"</i><br /><br /><img src="http://www.pocketpcthoughts.com/images/web/2003/ekkie_2405TQ10.jpg" /><br /><br />We've been hearing on-and-off about the promise of flexible-display technology and recently, it seems to have been more "off" than "on". So what's the hold-up? Well, as one might imagine, there are several technical challenges to creating flexible displays. Many which are covered in good detail in this article. The good news is that there are multiple companies aiming to bring this technology to market. The bad news (for us geeks anyway) seems to be that this technology will be aimed more initially at store shelf displays and advertisements instead of consumer electronics. Is this sales and marketing strategy the right one? Can you see a huge demand for this with mobile devices? And if so, what value proposition does this bring to the average consumer? Finally, there is mention of a Flexible Display Centre at Arizona State University. Any Arizona State students out there who would like partake in some show-and-tell? ;)

[bjornkeizers]

Haha! Sci-Fi indeed - that device on the right looks like it came out of the props department of the series Earth: Final Conflict!

http://www.jjambproductions.com/images/globallink4.jpg

[PDANEWBIE]

I'm just wondering how many flexible display deaths we will start to see... I cann see the headlines now. 52 year old strangled by fleible display over some cheese nuggets in her pocket... News at 11.

Okay now seriously..... I am not witing for flexible persay but I am waiting for wafer thin display technology. Just imagine being able to buy displays in different size "sheets" and then being able to then plaster them up on a wall anywhere in the house you wanted.


:)

[Jonathan1]

I'm just wondering how many flexible display deaths we will start to see... I cann see the headlines now. 52 year old strangled by fleible display over some cheese nuggets in her pocket... News at 11.

Okay now seriously..... I am not witing for flexible persay but I am waiting for wafer thin display technology. Just imagine being able to buy displays in different size "sheets" and then being able to then plaster them up on a wall anywhere in the house you wanted.


:)

Actually it will probably be a combination of both. Paper thin and flexible where you can put a voltage against the material and it becomes rigid or is some form of memory display where it can sense some type of action and responds to it. Say you bring your new TV home rolled up and shake it out like shaking a carpet. The action triggers a reaction at the atomic level that reforms the material in a way making it as stiff as metal allowing you to hang it up on the wall. Same thing with PDAs. The above device would suck unless it can become ridged. Which begs the question: who do I have to bl…pay to get a tablet PC in a tube the size of a paper towel tube? 8O :lol:

[Paragon]

Personally I think flexible screens are the key to the real mobile revolution.

Screen size is everything. It is the screen that determines the final dimensions of devices. It is the small screen that holds many, many people back from using mobile devices more than they do. With a flexible screen we can have a device as small as we care to carry around in our pocket, but have a screen that deploys to a very usable size.

This is the feature I have been waiting for on mobile devices more than any other. I can't wait!!

Dave

[Gremmie]

^^^

It is the one thing that would make PDA's have that "paper and pen" feel.

[gt24]

It will REALLY be terrible if this becomes the new advertisement wave of the future and if that technology NEVER comes to a consumer device (because advertisers could easily spend $1000+ (example) for a screen, however mobile device manufacturers only look the other way because the price won't drop for an extremely long time...).

You think stores have issues now with consumers damaging mobile devices... I can just imagine somebody jamming a pen through one of those expensive displays. If they are going to be deployed, I bet they will be like advertising boards along the highway, out of reach against a store wall, and alike. After all, I bet these screens aren't exactly durable.

Durability might hinder consumer acceptability too. It wouldn't be a good day if you broke your screen because you weren't extremely careful with it one day.

Yes, it is a neat technology, one I am looking forward to... however it will take a heck of a long time before it reaches our hands.

[BevHoward]

One observation is that all of the "concepts" of this I have seen to date require two hands.

Something similar to what we now use but has the additional ability to "expand" the screen when you have two hands or a table would seem to be preferable.

[Ekkie Tepsupornchai]

Durability might hinder consumer acceptability too. It wouldn't be a good day if you broke your screen because you weren't extremely careful with it one day.
This is a great point. I wonder where the cost/benefit "sweet spot" is then. Until the production costs can be kept to a minimum, who would want to pay a premium for something that can be so fragile? Additionally, what company would want to warranty this beyond about 30-60 days (if at all)?

Yes, it is a neat technology, one I am looking forward to... however it will take a heck of a long time before it reaches our hands.
I'm thinking the same thing. Until the production costs do come down significantly, it'll be a long while before we see this in consumer hands.

[jlp]

One observation is that all of the "concepts" of this I have seen to date require two hands.

Not only this but how do you write on these? With your third hand??

I don't know about you but I write as much as I read on my PPC.

[randy80016]

I wouldn't exactly hold my breath waiting for ground breaking discoveries to come out of ASU. If the cross section of people I know that went to ASU is any indication, it'll be a looooong time before we see these displays.

[Paragon]

One observation is that all of the "concepts" of this I have seen to date require two hands.

Not only this but how do you write on these? With your third hand??

I don't know about you but I write as much as I read on my PPC.

I don't think I'd get too worked up about them being two handed. A simple locking mechanism will remedy that.

As for righting on them....why would you want to do that when you have a flexible keyboard. ;)

Like I said before, "I can't wait" Unfortunately I agree with those who have said it's going to be awhile. Maybe a long while.

Dave

[milo]

That one on the left, the watch type one. How do you use the controls which are on the wrist while you have the screen out?

It seems to me flexible displays would be more useful for portable desktop solutions rather than handheld devices. A piece of paper is useless as a notebook until you have the stiff cardboard that makes it into a notebook or clipboard.

How about having your car covered in flexible displays so you can change your paint job whenever you want. Dresses and clothing will be made out of them. Movie t-shirts that actually shows the entire movie rather than just a picture?

[Steve Jordan]

I'm not sure how much a big deal flexible displays are going to be when they are available. The biggest uses for flexible displays, wrapping them around curved walls, etc, are largely decorative toys at best, and garish adverts at worst. No loss if we never see that.

Putting them into portable computers is interesting, but again, no big whoop. PPCs can be made in larger sizes, depending on the planned use for them. If you need larger displays, maybe a heads-up display would be more effective. And writing on them? Develop voice-enabled technology, and we don't have to write on them.

The real breakthrough we need is for <u>cheap</u> portable displays that can replace paper documents like magazines and newspapers, allowing users to download the latest mag or paper without the waste of paper pulp. Sure, flexible displays could do that job, but it's not absolutely necessary, as far as I'm concerned. A rigid device of anywhere from paperback-size to clipboard-size would serve this purpose. And the same device could double as your PPC.

I guess if you want to be able to fold your newspaper display into your briefcase, you could, but wouldn't an 8x10" device do the job without needing to be folded at all?

[Paragon]

A rigid device of anywhere from paperback-size to clipboard-size would serve this purpose. And the same device could double as your PPC.



The first "P" in PPC stands for "pocket" Personally I don't own a single piece of clothing with a clipboard sized pocket. ;)

The whole idea of flexible screens on portable devices is so they can foldup very small to fit in a pocket, yet unfold to be a decent size to use.

[Gremmie]

^^^

Size is a barrier to usage for a lot of people. If they are able to make a flexible display, then screens could be made large and more readable, but are able to maintain a small size.

People seem not to like reading on rigid screens--technology exists where people can download the newspaper in the exact layout as the paper itself, but it isn't very popular.

The above statement makes sense superficially, but doesn't fit in with what people currently want.

[Steve Jordan]

The whole idea of flexible screens on portable devices is so they can foldup very small to fit in a pocket, yet unfold to be a decent size to use.

That's where the technology gets me: For regular use, I don't need anything larger than a PPC-sized device, which does fit into my pocket. If anything, give more of the face real-estate to a screen, and I'd be happy. So maybe it's just me that can't get into the whole folding thing.

[Paragon]

The whole idea of flexible screens on portable devices is so they can foldup very small to fit in a pocket, yet unfold to be a decent size to use.

That's where the technology gets me: For regular use, I don't need anything larger than a PPC-sized device, which does fit into my pocket. If anything, give more of the face real-estate to a screen, and I'd be happy. So maybe it's just me that can't get into the whole folding thing.

So, you would prefer to surf the internet, and read Excel forms on a 3.5" screen, opposed to a folding 12" screen? ;)

Dave

[Steve Jordan]

True, I wouldn't even consider surfing the net with my PPC's screen (why they even bother to put IE on them is beyond me). On the other hand, I never find myself wanting or needing to surf the web when I'm not at home or at work, so it's never an issue. I don't read Excel forms on it either. Also, my PPC has no wireless connectivity (didn't ask for it).

Now, if the paper- or clipboard-sized screen I mentioned had wireless connectivity so I could surf the web, I could get into that. But I still don't really have the desire to fold it up into my pocket. I'd rather see more information-based websites that could be broken down to text-based content that could be easily read on a PPC-sized screen.

Foldability really seems more like a gimmick to me. I'll take a tablet-PC over a gimmick anytime.

[Gremmie]

It's only a gimmick when you eliminate all of the real benefits of a larger screen (e.g. Excel and web). If there was a foldable screen, then it's conceiveable that PDAs will have loss their benefit.

[Steve Jordan]

There may indeed be benefits to foldability, but the benefits to rigidity are as significant, I think... especially when it comes to interacting with the device (and assuming voice control hasn't yet been cracked). Try touch-typing on a loose piece of paper on your lap sometime. Try returning a text message by typing on a loose piece of paper while standing in line. And what's easier to use on a hiking trail... a big fold-out map, or a GPS?

Okay, I guess I need to officially amend (and maybe clarify) my earlier statements: I can admit the value of expandability of a rigid screen, ala the page 1 pictures' PDAs. And if such a screen could be expanded in two dimensions, instead of just one (as depicted in the pictures), even better. Personally, I don't think I'd need the larger screen, but I guess that's just me.

However, I don't see that as the same as foldability, ie, folding a large screen in sixteenths and sticking it in my back pocket. I maintain that folding is a gimmick. For daily use of a portable, handheld device, folding will not be of as much use as a rigid PDA, except in very limited circumstances.

Maybe I was nit-picking. I pick nit sometimes. (Old habits die hard.)